Velana International Airport (VIA) has officially opened their south-west apron for operations on Wednesday.
The VIA apron was developed by China Beijing Urban Construction group (BCUG). The first flight to park at the new apron was an aircraft of national airline Maldivian. Officials from Maldives Airport Company Limited (MACL) were present to welcome the flight which arrived from Bangkok. The flight received a water salute upon arrival.
The apron is being developed in two phases. The first phase of the apron has a parking space of 70,000 square meters. Two sizes of airplanes can be parked in this apron. While option one can accommodate two wide bodied air crafts and seven narrow bodied air crafts, option two can accommodate five wide bodied air crafts and two narrow bodied air crafts.
Providing information on the apron, Geneal Manager of Corporate Communications at the Maldives Airport Company Limited (MACL), Hassan Areef stated that while work on the first phase of the apron is now complete, work on the second phase has begun.
"Work on the second phase of the apron will hopefully conclude in seven months. Second phase of the apron will add a parking space of 65,000 square meters. In the second phase apron, four wide bodied air crafts and eight narrow bodied air crafts can be parked", said Hassan Areef.
New apron is designed to provide fuel to the aircraft through a fuel pipe under the apron. Fuel will be supplied by the new fuel farm that is being established.
When the second phase of the project is concluded, the size of the apron will reach 130,000 square meters. When the apron work is completed, 21 aircraft can be parked.
The airport development project costs approximately US$ 800 million. US$ 373 was utilized to build the new run way. A new passenger terminal, fuel farm, a cargo terminal and a sea plane terminal is also being developed among several other facilities.
A Maldivian flight was parked at the new apron on Wednesday
